A Blast From The Past
by Snuffles-sweetie
Summary: Sequel to;The Marauders and Me.Totally AU.Char was blasted back to her own world/future,where no one belives her. But suddenly, thanks to a strange accident, she finds herself back in her past/alter reality, but is it the same world she left?
1. Prologue

**An: **I've come to realize that I've missed Char and the gang. So, here is a taste of the SEQUEL to The Marauders and Me. I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet and I admit that it will have a slightly different tune to it. Anyone have any ideas, opinions...anything! Just write me, I would be grateful.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own J.K.'s characters. Or anything else you poor sods recognize.

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**A Blast From The Past.**

**Prologue.**

I didn't want to go. I didn't want to _die_. I didn't want to leave them. I didn't want to leave _him_. There were a lot of things that I didn't want to do in October, 1989.

That was approximately 3 years ago now and unlike my parents hopes and thoughts I haven't let it go. I haven't forgotten, I never will.

My old boyfriend Dylan came to see me but left rather quickly when I dismissed him as soon as he opened his big mouth. I now knew what real love was and Dylan…wasn't it.

Viola and David, Vi and Dave my two friends came to see me too. I hurt them, I know I did. I didn't want to talk to them, they didn't understand, wouldn't and _couldn't_ understand. They didn't know me anymore. I had changed, Vi just wasn't my best friend any more; Lily was. And Dave was far from the guy I used to call my brother; he had been replaced by James.

When I didn't stop crying and trying to find ways to get back, or telling them about what happened to me they sent me to a shrink. Dr. Malcolm Furlong thought I was insane. At one point he almost made me believe that I was insane but then something happened…a sign that everything they said was a dream…really did happen.

I was rummaging through my things looking for a pen to write in my new diary, the doctor's orders, when I spotted it. It wasn't anything special really; it was a charm bracelet with a few charms on it; a rattle, a heart, a paw print and a key. You could find similar ones in any jewellery store, nothing odd about it. Except that this bracelet was mine, a present given to me when I was pregnant with a child that was supposedly a dream, a gift from a husband of my own imagination. And just like that, my hope was restored.

**~o~o~o~**

It was a week later when I was on my way to Dr. Furlong's office that it happened. I could see the good doctors' window, he was standing there looking at me and waved with a sympathetic smile on his face and that look of pity in his eyes that I hated. I knew what was going through his mind; poor girl, so young and delusional. A project he didn't know if he could solve. I knew that he saw me as a pretty hopeless case, my refusal in "acknowledging reality" irked him fiercely. While I was still deep in thought, staring at the Dr. I saw his facial expression change. Gone was the pity and frustration and instead his eyes screamed fear, shock and panic. I was confused until he started waving at me and apparently shouting something because I could see his lips moving. I don't think I've ever heard such a terrifying noise as the one that reached my ears next; the screeching of brakes. I turned slowly and like in one of those movies when time stops and everything goes in slow motion I saw a big ass truck moving towards me. I wasn't even standing in the middle of the road, so I shouldn't have been in danger. But I guess the truck driver lost control or something. The last thing I remember was watching the panicked face of the truck driver, his name was George and he would later forget all about this incident like it never happened, as he sped uncontrollably towards me. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, but it never came.

Dr. Furlong would seconds later swear that he saw me disappear into thin air before the truck hit the spot I was standing in. But he would also, only seconds after that not remember me at all.

**~o~o~o~**

The papers next day would report that George Willow, father of three from Sussex, had crashed into a therapist's office. Luckily no one was hurt and the only witness was a Dr. Malcolm Furlong that watched it happen safely from his office window.

No one would recall seeing a young woman at the scene. No one remembered her almost being hit by the truck or disappearing without a trace. It was like she never existed.

**~o~o~o~**

The next minute, miles from there I sat up taking a deep breath like I had been drowning.


	2. Dead WoMan Walking

**An:** I _truly_ am sorry for the wait. At first I had zero ideas then I just haven't felt like writing.  
Alot of things has been going on in my **Real Life** and I can not believe I'm actually doing this but. I'm blaming my _friends_ for keeping me away from the computer, I blame my _job _for taking up alot of my time and last but so not least I blame my _Boyfriend_ for being so damn cute and making me fall for him. Yeah, I never thought I would be one of those girls who stopped writing to be with a _boy_. But it kinda just happened, so my computer time has been limited since October actually.

**_I'm sorry._** Mostly I blame myself though. Here is the real first chapter and I love all the reviews and I hope you'll continue to give me brilliant ideas. Because this story still is very much a work in progress!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or his friends, or his world for that matter.

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**Chapter 1**

**Dead (Wo)man Walking.**

_I hear the angels talking talking talking_

_Now I'm a dead man walking walking walking_

_I hear the angels talking talking talking_

_Now I'm a dead man_

_-The Script-_

Darkness. All I could hear was my own ragged breathing. I could feel damp grass beneath my fingertips. Where was I?

I could still feel my tense muscles, waiting for the impact of the…truck! My eyes flew open as I remembered the truck outside Dr. Furlong's office. But there was no grass outside that building, only concrete.

My head hurt and even with my eyes wide open I couldn't see a thing. I closed them again and tried to calm my breathing, trying desperately to think rationally.

When my breathing finally calmed I opened my eyes again, this time I could see the night sky. I was definitely outside still, not that I had believed otherwise. My hands travelled down my body, feeling around for any kind of external injury. Nothing hurt except my head and I seemed to be physically fine, but something was wrong. Something was different. My body felt fine…but different somehow. I managed to ignore this and sit up and look around. It was dark, so I obviously couldn't see much but I was in a huge open area. No shadows lurked just open air, going on until…until what? It stopped next to a humongous shadow with lights, thousands of them. I squinted my eyes and put my head on the side, studying the shadow closely. It looked vaguely familiar, I knew I had gazed upon this strange shape before but my hurting brain couldn't figure out what it was.

My head felt like it was about to explode when I stood shakily. I started walking towards the shape, the lights and as I got closer the sense of déjà vu washed over me. I stopped and squinted again, it was building that much I was sure of. A large building with towers and bridges and…my breath hitched in my throat.

"It can't be…" I muttered in disbelief, my voice raspy and startling in the silence. My feet were suddenly moving in a faster pace. Walking forward like on autopilot, thoughts were racing around my head like cars on a racetrack. I soon found myself running, slipping on the wet grass from time to time.

When my feet finally touched the stone path that lead to the huge doors of the castle I could barely breathe. My heart was beating frantically, my brain refused to accept the oxygen that was trying to make its way through my aching airways. I slowly started walking towards the closed doors, these doors that I had walked through so many times before. Doors I thought I was never going to see again. Hesitantly I touched them, expecting them to vanish before my eyes.

"I don't believe it," I breathed the words as my hand travelled down the rugged wood.

"Hogwarts," I whispered a smile making its way onto my face. How many times had I not dreamed of this, wished for it? But was it truly real, was I back? And if so, how and why now? Behind me a throat cleared and I froze. This must have looked awfully strange, a woman in muggle clothes, gently fondling a wooden door.

"May I help you miss," a drawling voice questioned sourly. My hand fell limply to my side, I knew that voice. I turned slowly and my eyes met the obsidian ones of Severus Snape. The man who had become a friend looked older and wiser but that sardonic look on his face would probably never change.

"Severus," I breathed out and a small laugh escaped my mouth, I couldn't even remember the last time I truly laughed. The man in question looked at me for a long time, not uttering a single word. He was studying me closely with no spark of recognition until he reached my eyes. His eyes widened comically but his facial expression didn't change much other than that.

"It's impossible," he said, his voice breaking at one point. With a sweep of his coat, so alike a bat that I almost laughed, he turned, opened the door and disappeared into the castle. I stood, paralyzed and confused staring at the crack in the door. A hand appeared in the crack and it opened even more. Severus pale face hovered warily in the doorway looking at me expectedly.

"Are you coming," he asked with a raise of his eyebrow. Even in this shocked state the man managed to be intimidating, no wonder so many of his students feared him. I nodded, numbly and followed the black clad man through familiar corridors. My eyes wandered over the familiar walls, the conversing portraits. Something struck me as odd though, not once had we met another living being. Sure I saw Peeves lurking about in an archway but not a single witch or wizard had crossed our path, the question was why? It wasn't so late that it was past curfew, I had spotted a clock on one of the walls. And I knew that the castle wouldn't be this lit up during summer holidays. I almost bumped into Severus, so absorbed with my thoughts that I barely registered that he had stopped walking. He gave me a haunting look but his eyes still shone of disbelief and suspicion. It was then that I noticed exactly where the Potions Master had decided to end his evening power walk. The familiar Gargoyle that protected the Headmasters office was peering at me. Severus took another look at me and then muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Cherry Flavoured Pez'. But I could have been imagining things, although with Dumbledore, who knew? At once the gargoyle disappeared upwards, the spiral staircase following closed behind. A hand motioned for me to step on so I did, closely followed by Severus. The familiar jolt of the staircase stopping made my gut turn from nerves. The door opened and a familiar office came into my line of sight. The curious instruments were still there and the portraits of Headmasters of the past peered at me as I stepped into Dumbledore's office. The man himself was seated behind his big desk, as grey haired and sparkly eyed as ever. The feeling of Severus velvet cloak against my wrist as he stormed by me woke me from my haze.

"I found her outside the main doors, sir." The old man peered at me curiously and then looked back at the potions master.

"Have a seat Mrs. Black," he said calmly and gestured for the empty chair in front of him. I stood stock still; it had been so long since anyone called me that. The younger man in the room once again took me away from my thoughts with the words;

"It's _impossible_. It can not be _her_. I saw her-," he paused and looked back at me with a strange painful look in his eyes.

"-die," the last word came out more as a whisper. That word made memories come back with the same force as if someone had smacked me in the face. Pictures of Voldemort, the duel and that bright green jet of light flashed before my eyes. Dumbledore's eyes, on the other hand, were still sparkling.

"And yet she stands before us Severus," he spoke calmly, as if this was something that happened every day.

"What of Polyjuice?"

"Impossible Severus, that would make her look as she did the day she died. Not older." The two men discussed but I barely listened, I had caught sight of myself in a mirror. I wasn't looking at the face of 20 something year old Charlotte Reese, no the face that looked back at me was the one of 30 something year old Charlotte Black. I traced the aged face in the mirror, watching it mirror my every movement. I suddenly felt eyes on me and turned around, every other being in the room was staring at me; Severus with disbelief and hope, the portraits with confusion and some; understanding. Dumbledore's face only showed joy.

"I'm really back, aren't I," I asked shakily, hoping that this was real and not another dream. All I got was a nod. I listened as Severus questioned Dumbledore and heard my own story, how I really got here the first time around was announced. I couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror, fascinated.

"I'm old," I muttered helplessly as my brown eyes peered back at me, a chuckle erupted from the headmasters throat and I swear I heard Severus snort.

"What year is it?" this question made them both hesitate.

"Maybe you should sit down," the potions master gestured to the already offered chair and I sat, hesitantly. I looked at both of them expectantly, I had to know.

"It's been years, hasn't it? Since I –died," I said slowly, carefully speaking the words that felt so foreign to me. I had never been dead, I just went back. But here, to my friends and family I had been dead, forever.

"Many." I looked at the dark haired wizard as he stared at me sadly.

"Today is September 1st and we have just welcomed 51 new students to Hogwarts. The year is 1993," Dumbledore spoke slowly, watching me closely. I was shocked. 1993, that meant that I had been gone for over a decade, which also meant that…

"My friends, Lily and James, Harry! Did they…are they," I paused fearing the worst.

"Perfectly fine, they lost many a good friend in the war. But they are unharmed and healthy as ever. Harry just began his third year here, Gryffindor." I smiled and sighed in relief. I had managed to save them. I tried to picture baby Harry being a third year and 13 years old but it was impossible. I laughed softly and a tear of joy slipped down my cheek before another thought hit me; if Harry was 13 that meant that…

"_Emily_," I whispered. That name had brought me so much pain thinking about her all this time, wondering, fearing.

"Is a beautiful young third year Gryffindor, probably gives the teachers a few grey hairs but a brilliant healthy young girl," Dumbledore smiled at me and I laughed again. I was so close to her to my daughter.

"And…what about-," I paused again, unable to utter his name out loud.

"Sirius is, fine. He never was quite the same after you but he is doing okay. He has taken good care of your daughter," the headmaster smiled gently at me as I simply stared at him. I was truly back with them and they were _okay_, they were alive and well. But I had missed _so_ much. I listened carefully as the two men told me about the past years that I had missed, trying to make it all fit into my memory. I tried my hardest to picture it and at the same time repress the fact that I had been absent, believed dead for all these occasions.

I knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.

"But you have to let me see them!" Their tale had now ended and I was standing, breathing heavily.

"It will be a shock for them, you have to understand Charlotte. This is not something you just spring on people."

"But I need to see them, I need to see _him_," I pleaded to deaf ears. The grey haired professor shook his head sadly.

"How would you feel," he said and paused as if to check if I was truly listening to him.

"If someone you loved dearly died and then suddenly, miraculously showed up on your doorstep. This has to be done carefully and I think you know that." his words hit home, even if I didn't want them to. This had to be done carefully, I didn't even know if I was back for good yet or if this was just some kind of fluke, a cruel glitch in the system.

"What do you want me to do," I asked with a sigh and the old man smiled kindly and sadly. Then he gave me some ideas he had, rules that I had to follow at least for a little while. So they could, and I quote; "figure things out". I sulked the whole night in the hidden room in the dungeons that Severus sadly led me to eventually. My emotions were mixed; I didn't know whether I should be happy about being back or sad about being locked into a tiny room. I truly was a dead woman walking.


	3. Big Girls Don't Cry

**An: **Hey. It's been awhile, more than awhile. I want to say I'm sorry, but really, I'm not. My life has been up and down this past year. So hight that I was high on life itself and so low, so low that I almost hit the bottom. I'm not sorry for not updating earlier because that would have been complete and utter rubbish. The last moths I haven't exactly been myself. It came to a point where my muse abandoned me in disgust and I could no longer recognize the person I saw in the mirror. But I'm not looking for pity, I'm not here to whine. The point is; I finally feel like myself again, I have gotten my sh*t together and my muse has returned.

This is not my best work by far, because I started to write it so long ago and I'm not sure where i was truly going with it. But here it is, after a very long wait, alot of complaints, begging and even thearts; Chapter two.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the world he lives in.

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**Chapter 2**

**Big Girls Don't Cry.**

_It's time to be a big girl now _

_And big girls don't cry_

_-Fergie-_

I had been back for a week. The same amount of time had been spent cooped up in a small room somewhere in the castles dungeon. I had only seen Severus and Dumbledore so far, and I was slowly but surely going mad. Or at least that's what I thought; I think I was developing some kind of cabin fever. One day, when the walls seemed especially close and the air almost impossible to breathe I made a decision. I had to get out.

One week and six hours was the time that it took me to disobey Dumbledore's orders, a new record if I may say so myself. Never had I been that obedient about anything.

The door didn't creek when I opened it and stepped out into the damp dungeon hallway. I looked around but didn't see a soul, but then again who would seriously spend their time in a damp dungeon when they could be outside exploring or anywhere else but here. I rolled my eyes and carefully made my way through the labyrinth of hallways, someone less experienced with mentioned halls would surely had gotten lost. But the human mind and memory is a curious thing because as I walked with no clear destination in mind I could actually recognize parts of the dungeon. I was one hundred percent sure of where I was at all times.

I was mentally patting myself on the back for remembering the way out of there and completely immersed in my own thoughts when I rounded a corner so I didn't even hear the students conversing or see them until I was on the ground moaning because of the impact. I was pretty certain that I had crashed into someone, and when the plan was that I was not to be seen yet, this couldn't be good. Dumbledore was going to scold me again and I just knew it.

"Em, are you okay?"

"Who is that?" Voices interrupted my thoughts and I quickly realized that there was more than one person that I had crashed into. I carefully sat up, holding my head.

"That's going to turn into one hell of a headache," I muttered earning some amused, yet confused chuckles from my hallway companions. I opened my eyes and looked at a black haired boy that looked vaguely familiar somehow, a blonde that looked like she was about to burst out laughing any minute and there on the floor was a brunette that… my heart felt like it actually stopped beating for a second and my breath hitched in my throat. The girl had just opened her eyes, and a pair of remarkably grey eyes was staring at me curiously. Grey eyes, his grey eyes. These were the same eyes that I had longed to see for so long, and had loved to stare into in the past; Sirius eyes. I must have stared at her silently an uncomfortably long period of time because the boy clearing his throat actually startled me. I blinked and tried to speak, I couldn't believe I had lost my wit that quickly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," I managed to say quietly as I stood; because only then did I realize that I was the only one still on the floor.

"It's okay, we or well…I didn't see you either," she said with a crooked smile, _his_ smile. That's when I realized that the girl was a spitting image of me at 13, how I missed that to begin with was beyond me but, somehow, I did. I managed to drag my eyes away from her and look at the other occupants of the now pretty crowded hallway. The boy had this haughty air surrounding him, high cheekbones…there was no doubt about it, he was clearly a member of the most noble and ancient house of Black. But then his eyes were soft and his lips curved in a way that struck me as familiar. Izzy and Reggie's son, I thought. He just had to be. The blonde didn't resemble anyone I knew. My eyes drifted back to Emily, my daughter. Out of all the students in Hogwarts I happened to crash right into her. The one person I wanted to see the most and probably one of the persons that definitely wasn't allowed to see me just yet. Before I could say anything else my ears picked up the sound of cloth dragging against the floor. My eyes stared at the long black cape that appeared around the corner, I knew who it was even before he spoke.

"What is going on here?" My eyes travelled up the black clad body of Severus until they met his, was that amused, eyes.

"Nothing professor Snape," the students all chorused as one. I raised an eyebrow as Severus's upper lip twitched with pride and apparent amusement. One who didn't know the man couldn't even have detected the small twitch but I saw it clearly.

"Very well then, move along then," he drawled and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. The three students frowned and their eyes lingered on me curiously but when their potions professor raised an eyebrow at them they started shuffling away. A hand obscured my view of the leaving students and with a sigh; I let Severus help me stand.

"Out of all the students…" he gave me a look that was both amused and scolding at the same time.

"I know, what are the odds? I seriously didn't think I would run into anybody! I just needed some air, Severus. Could we not tell Dumbledore?" I pleaded with him and gave him my infamous "puppy dog eye" look. He took one look at me and actually snorted.

"We'll see," he said, but we both knew I had him.

I don't really know what I did to make the days after that pass by. Maybe the sight of my daughter had restored my patience. Maybe I slept through some of them? Maybe, Severus had taken pity in me and put some spell over me. Whatever it was, I was grateful for it because another two weeks later Dumbledore finally paid me a visit. It was time.

**~o~o~o~**

Nothing could have prepared me for this meeting. My hand were shaking, my breathing harsh, I couldn't seem to fix my sight on a single thing in the unfamiliar room. Dumbledore had taken me to the Ministry of Magic, of all places. Sirius, god I got goose bumps even thinking his name, apparently still worked as an Auror. I could hear them now, approaching the plain wooden door.

"Are you sure Albus," I heard a voice asking, _his_ voice. How could I forget his voice, I knew immediately that it was him speaking. How could I not? I could almost feel his presence, so close on the other side of the door. This single, insignificant piece of wood separating us from each other. My heart started pounding faster, surely they could hear it? My eyes landed on the other person in the room, Severus Snape was the picture of calm, unlike my sweating self. Then I heard it, someone taking a deep breath. The door creaked slightly, the lock clinked and the breath I was bout to take got stuck in my throat.

Time could not have passed any slower as that door opened. A hand, then an arm appeared in front of my waiting eyes, he was wearing a green shirt. He always did look good in green, despite the colour being the one of his rival house in school. Soon, but surely not soon enough brown eyes met grey. Disbelief, wonder and a tiny hint of suspicion passed between us.

"Char," said in barely a whisper but the hope was still clearly visible. The sound of my name coming from his lips, the absolute wonder in his voice, made me choke. Brown eyes never strayed from grey.

"Hey you." My voice cracked, I couldn't believe what I just said. Those were the first words to the love of my life? I tried to keep my breathing slow and calm, so my brain could get the oxygen it apparently needed, but the task at hand seemed impossible. And then, before I even knew what was happening, I did the most embarrassing thing; I burst out crying.


	4. Dreaming With A Broken Heart

**an:  
**I'm not gonna apologize for not updating sooner. Because I know anything sooner, would have been comeplete and utter sh*t.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the mind of J.K. Rowling.

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**Chapter 3**

**Dreaming with a Broken Heart.**

_When you're dreaming with a broken heart  
Then waking up is the hardest part  
You roll outta bed and down on your knees  
And for a moment you can hardly breathe  
Wondering was she really here?  
Is she standing in my room?  
No she's not, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone..._

_When you're dreaming with a broken heart_  
_The giving up is the hardest part_  
_She takes you in with her crying eyes_  
_Then all at once you have to say goodbye_  
_Wondering could you stay my love?_  
_Will you wake up by my side?_  
_No she can't, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone..._

_Now do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hands_  
_Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hands?_  
_Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hands?_  
_Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my , roses in my hands?_

_Would you get them if i did?_  
_No you won't, 'cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone..._

_-John Mayer-_

Then I did the most embarrassing thing; I started crying…

**Sirius.**

I couldn't believe what I had been told, only minutes earlier. Char, _my Char_, was alive. She was here. Behind this wooden door. The day she died, no vanished apparently was replaying itself before my eyes. The days, weeks and years of pain that had come after that. I really wanted to believe that Dumbledore was telling the truth, that this wasn't yet another dream. A dream I had dreamt over a thousand times, only to wake up heartbroken. I wanted so badly to believe him, but I couldn't, not yet anyways. I need proof, and that I had on the other side of the door. My hand hesitated over the doorknob, could I really do this? Either way this would undoubtedly throw my life out of course. Then, when I closed my eyes for a mere second, a picture appeared before me. A pair of twinkling, brown eyes, a smile that could light up a room, my love. My hand gripped the knob and turned. The door creaked slightly when it opened and I opened my eyes. My breath caught in my throat at the scene that presented itself before my eyes. Brown, slightly wavy hair, brown eyes filled with hope and excitement. I could barely believe my eyes, but I was sure it was her.

"Char," I whispered, the wonder in my voice was obvious. Her eyes twinkled and a small smile appeared when she spoke;

"Hey you." I could see her cringing at the words that came out of her mouth and almost laughed at the familiar expression. Then without and warning she started crying, without even thinking about it I stepped forward and drew her into my arms. She felt just as I remembered and that familiar smell made my eyes tear up too, she was really here.

**Char.**

His arms felt like heaven, corny as it sounds but this is truly what it felt like to be back in his arms. He had aged, that much my mind registered before I started bawling and my face was pressed into his green shirt. He smelled just as I remembered and that brought on another wave of embarrassing tears.

"It really is you," he mumbled and I laughed slightly.

"It is and I'm ruining your shirt with snot," I muttered as I tried not to wipe my nose on mentioned garment. He let out that familiar bark-like laugh and I smiled. We stood there, just staring at each other until someone cleared their throat. I looked into the obsidian eyes of Severus Snape but couldn't really gather if he was amused or simply annoyed.

"If you two are done staring at each other like the other one is a ghost, perhaps we could sit down and discuss our current-," he paused and a look of displeasure flashed over his face but was gone so fast I thought I might have imagined it.

"- situation," he finished with a twitch of his eyebrow.

"Situation, what situation? My wife is alive and you make it sound like that's a problem…a bad thing," Sirius ground out. Apparently they hadn't completely buried that war axe. Dumbledore clearing his throat interrupted their intense staring match.

"Severus is right Sirius, there are certain-," he hesitated, knowing that my husband would be as displeased, if not more, as I was when he told me the information I was sure he was about to bring up again.

"-aspects of the recent events that need to be discussed." Sirius looked at the headmaster with a glint of suspicion in his grey eyes, he apparently no longer trusted our fearless leader blindly, and with good reason. But never less, he nodded and we joined Severus at the small table. I sat still, quiet and listened when Dumbledore told Sirius the same things he told me. I felt his hand squeeze my own harder and harder until I truly thought that the blood flow in it stopped completely.

"I will not…_you_ will not…this is insane Dumbledore," he all but shouted when Dumbledore stopped talking.

"Emily has been without her mother for almost 12 years! And I will not keep her from seeing her for another minute!" I smiled sadly when the words left his mouth, that comment hit home. I had been absent for so long, would my daughter even want to see me? Know me, or was I just a vague memory, almost forgotten. A comforting hand touched mine and I was once again stunned as I gazed into a pair of, now slightly sad and annoyed grey eyes. My thoughts must have been visible on my face.

"She will not wait another day," he said as his eyes never left mine. I admired the fact that he hadn't changed, at all. But even if I hated the words that came out of Dumbledore's mouth with passion, I knew what he said was slightly true. This was a situation that had to be handled with caution.

"Sirius," my voice cut through the tense silence that surrounded us.

"He does have a point." The disbelief and hurt in his eyes was hard for me to see, so I turned my head away.

"You-," he paused, obviously searching for words,

"You cannot be serious love," he ground out carefully, cautious. The obvious caution in his voice made me uneasy; he had never used that kind of tone with me before. But then again I had been, _dead_ to him for several years, absent. My fears and doubts immediately seemed so much more real.

"What if-," I took a deep breath, scared that if I uttered the words out loud they would become truth, reality.

"What if she doesn't want to see me," I whispered so quietly I almost thought no one heard me. But in the deafening silence that ruled the room you could've heard a pin drop. A scoff broke the silence, but to my surprise it was not my husband, but Severus who had let out the sound. Every eye in the room looked at the black clad man.

"That girl of yours has nothing but admiration for you in her head and she could never, _not _want to see you. And here I thought you were clever, dear Charlotte," he said, the sardonic vibes almost dripping from the words. A smile twitched at the corner of my lips at the utter surprise that Sirius face shone of at the other man's words.

"But still, Charlotte has been believed dead for over a decade now, how do we explain her sudden appearance?" Dumbledore was frustrated, I could hear it in his voice. Once again the Head of Slytherin surprised us all by saying;

"Simple-," he paused and held up a pale hand when both Dumbledore and Sirius opened their mouths to speak. Amazingly, none of them uttered a single syllable as Severus turned his dark eyes towards me and said;

"The truth."


	5. The Truth

**An:** I can't believe it has taken me this long, but it has. But I must also say that I warned everyone that this would take awhile, and it would be a very slow process. Sad but true. Anyway, here you have it!

Disclaimer; I own my characters and part of this plot, but Harry Potter verse belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling

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**Chapter 4**

**The Truth.**

_Sleep lay behind me like a broken ocean_

_Strange waking dreams before my eyes unfold_

_You lay there sleeping like an open doorway_

_I stepped outside myself and felt so cold_

_Take a look at my new toy_

_It'll blow your head in two, oh boy_

_Truth hits everybody, truth hits everyone_

_Truth hits everybody, truth hits everyone_

_Truth hits everybody, truth hits everyone_

_-Sting & Police-_

Two words. How is it possible for two such ordinary words to basically stop time? Silence a whole room. Severus looked at all of us with a smug look in his eyes.

"The truth," Dumbledore said quietly, a calculating look in his twinkling eyes.

"Please, Severus, elaborate." We stared at the black clad man in curiosity.

"How else can anyone explain her presence? It is the obvious solution." My eyes turned to Dumbledore as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"It will still be a shock," he stated, and I could feel the ice return in my stomach.

"No matter how she is introduced, it will be shocking sir. The truth is the right way to go, it will explain everything," here he stopped and looked at all of us, letting the words sink in. He was right, I realized, there was no other way to explain my absence, my so called death. It would shock people, but how else would we be able to explain it so it sounded believable? Sirius took my hand and smiled, I think I melted. I had missed that smile so much it almost hurt to see it now. It took a while but soon, even Dumbledore agreed that Severus idea was the best solution. But he had a condition, of course.

"This is still a very delicate situation, even if Severus is right about telling the truth, we must use caution," he paused and looked at all of us in turn over his half-moon shaped glasses.

"We do not know how people will react to this news. Not all may be as glad as we are."

**~o~o~o~**

Dumbledore's words echoed in my head as Sirius and I rode one of the elevators in silence. My hand was still tightly held by his and he didn't seem to want to let go anytime soon.

"Do you still live in the apartment," I asked with a twitch of my lips, I remembered my home fondly. Memories of our room, the kitchen…the nursery went through my mind.

"Actually no, we moved out of there and gave it to Reggie and Izzy. Em and I now live at Grimmauld Place," he paused, obviously wanting to see my reaction to that revelation.

"Grimmauld Place? But you absolutely loathe that house," I said, confused at my family's new residence. He smiled and said;

"True. I once did loathe that place but once mother and father passed, it became mine. Apparently marrying a muggleborn was better than marrying a muggle, "he chuckled slightly with a shake of his head. The thought of Sirius even setting foot in his old childhood home befuddled me. I had a hard time picturing them living there, in that cold and very dark mansion like house. I decided not to say anything and followed my husband in silence as we walked out of the building.

"Ready," he asked as we reached the apparation point. I swallowed and nodded with a tightlipped smile. Did I even remember how to do this, it had been so long. He gave me a calculating look and grinned.

"Want me to help you?" I gave him a small smile and nodded. He stepped closer and put his arms around me. I shivered slightly; it had been a very long time since I let another human being touch me like that. That tingling, a feeling I thought I wouldn't ever experience again, started up in the pit of my stomach and I let out a small gasp and squeezed my eyes shut as the air disappeared from my lungs. As soon as the feeling began it was over and even before I opened my eyes I knew we had been transported many miles away. When I could breathe normally again I opened my eyes and looked straight into smiling grey ones.

"You're going to have to get used to that again, love," he said with that patent smile of his. I nodded and swallowed the bile-like substance that had risen in my throat, merlin I hated apparation.

Only now could I take in my surroundings, I vaguely remembered the street we stood on, after all I had only been here twice. Sirius once again grabbed my hand and started walking down the street.

"When Walburga and Orion were residents here this was strangely a muggle populated area, now though many wizarding families live here. So I think we should get home quickly." Home, that word was all too foreign to me now. We walked quickly and soon enough number 12 appeared, I had to stifle a gasp at the sight of it. It looked nothing like the house I remembered, the front garden was perfectly done, gone was those awful hedges and that horrible motto at the door. And it was, yellow, the whole house shone of happiness. It was no wonder that Sirius didn't mind living here now; it looked nothing like the cold mansion I remembered.

"Changed, hasn't it," he asked with a hesitant smile. I also saw the question in his eyes, did I like it? We made it to the door and it opened as soon as Sirius swept his hand over the knob.

"Magical lock," he offered as an explanation as it closed behind us. The sight that met me took my breath away. It was so light, so simple and so…me. It looked like I could have chosen the colors, the furniture, it looked like my home. _Our home._

"Oh, Sirius…" I whispered, shocked. He led me into the very spacious living area and sat me down at one of the leather couches.

"Lily helped me decorate it, I asked if she could make it like something you would have picked. I assume that she succeeded," he trailed off with yet another smile. I couldn't say anything, I was in shock. Before I knew what I was doing my arms were around his neck and my lips pressed tightly against his. I have no idea where that burst of passion came from but he responded with an equal amount. My blood was boiling, it was so hot. Our labored breathing made us both grin when we broke apart to stare at each other. My hand touched his cheek, his eyes closed and he took a deep breath.

"Oh Char," he mumbled against my hand as he kissed my pulse point. That was all it took, clothes were shed haphazardly, kisses, labored breathing and grabbing. I'm not sure how it happened but suddenly we were on the floor, on the white furry rug in front of the fireplace, him on top of me and this feeling of pure, utter bliss spread through my whole body.

**~o~o~o~**

Minutes, maybe hours had gone by as I lay there on top of him just, breathing, as he stroked my naked back. I was afraid to say anything, even think, it would ruin the moment.

"Wow, it has been way too long," he muttered and nuzzled my hair. I giggled, feeling and acting like a teenager again, but then again, Sirius had always made me feel like that.

"It sure has," I paused and looked at him in wonder.

"Wait are you saying that…no one, not even once after," I trailed off the surprise clear on my face. He stroked my hair with a gently look in his eyes.

"It never felt right after you, like I was being unfaithful." I stared at him.

"But love, I was_…dead_. I wouldn't have minded," he winced at my choice of words but it was reality.

"I know. But it was like I knew you were going to come back to me one day, I went on dates but we never got this far, and beside I was a single father that was a turn off for many," his mouth twitched at my disturbed look, but I soon started smiling.

"But now I'm here, with you."

"Yes you are. Thank Merlin for that". I laughed and laid my head back at his bare chest, just wanting to savor the moment a little while longer.

"We do have a lot to talk about though," he said, worry and excitement in his voice.

"That we do." We both fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company, the feel of the others calm breathing and heartbeat soothing us both.

"Merlin! Padfoot what is going on?" the shout startled us both, Sirius swore and I tried to cover myself with the quilt we had on us. We looked at each other in panic as Sirius rose with another quilt around him and started walking towards the voice, I was far too ashamed to look the other way.

"Calm down Prongs, I can explain," he said and I gasped all too loudly. _James_.


	6. Belief

An. Thank you, everyone who has R&R this story. It really insipred me to find the time to write. Thank you, you guys mean the world to me! But I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is a very slow process. I don't have the time, sadly, to wirte as much as I would like to. But I try, I honestly do. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still do not own Potterverse.

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**Chapter 5**

**Belief**

_Everyone believes_  
_In how they think it ought to be_  
_Everyone believes_  
_And they're not going easily_

_Belief is a beautiful armor_  
_But makes for the heaviest sword_  
_Like punching under water_  
_You never can hit who you're trying for_

_-John Mayer-_

This was not the way I had planned for James to find out I was back. I was not supposed to be on the floor. I was also not supposed to be post coital. Oh, and I was definitely not supposed to be naked as the day I was born.

I could hear them talking in the hall, Sirius had kindly rushed James out of the room so I could dress, and probably save some of my dignity and pride. I looked around for my clothes and started to dress in a hurry, thinking that Sirius couldn't occupy James for too long.  
Suddenly a Christmas morning from, what seemed like, centuries ago came to mind and, without warning, I started giggling hysterically.

"That voice," James said and then paused, like he doubted what he had just heard. I slapped my hand over my mouth, slightly horrified but more embarrassed that I couldn't keep my mouth shut for a few minutes.

"Sirius, I know that voice. But it impossible!" the sound of shuffling feet could be heard from the hallway.

"Prongs wait a minu-," here he was interrupted when James slammed the door open. I turned slowly and looked at the opening and there he was, a little older but the hazel eyes were the same, his hair stood on end like it always had, James, my brother. He stared at me, pale-faced a confused look in his eyes.

"Hey, James," I said softly, wanting to break the silence. Sirius stepped around his best friend and made his way to me, when he put his arm around me I let the breath I was holding out.

"It's not possible. You're…you are dead." I flinched at the word, I still had a hard time with the fact that everyone I love thought I was dead for years. I probably should get used to that fact before I met anyone else.

"I was there." His voice started escalating and I raised a hand to interrupt him but he continued this time in a louder voice.

"At your funeral. I've visited your grave for years. Who are you and what kind of spell have you put on Sirius," he yelled and suddenly I found myself with his wand in my face.

"Prongs," Sirius began but a flustered James shushed him with just a venomous look. I had never seen James so angry, especially not at his best friend. This was a new experience for me; everyone had taken the news surprisingly lightly, _until now_. I am not naive; I knew that telling people wouldn't be easy; I had been dead for a decade for Merlin's sake! It had gone awfully smooth this far and I knew my streak of belief and confidence would end sometime, just not now...not with_ him_.

James had always been the hopeful one, the trusting, positive and he always saw the good in people first. I honestly thought Sirius would be harder to convince that I was well, real, than James. I never thought I would be on this side of his wand.

"Who are you," he asked his voice quivering slightly. I tried to speak but the chock of the intensity of his reaction had made me mute.

"Prongs, could you please stop pointing your wand at my wife. Yes, it really is her James, she's really here," Sirius said in a calm voice. James eyes flickered from Sirius to me and a spark of hope, a small one, but it was clearly there in his eyes.

"It's impossible," he said quietly but lowered his wand slowly.

"I thought so too, but here I am," I said with a small, hesitant smile. The man was still clutching his wand tightly.

"Prove it," the words came out of his mouth so fast and so unexpectedly that I almost thought I had imagined them. Sirius opened his mouth to say something but James just held up a hand, his eyes never leaving mine.

"No Padfoot, if she really is Char, then she can also prove it to me." I looked at Sirius and he just looked lost and shrugged. My eyes turned to James and the hope was there again in his eyes and that made it a lot easier.

"Want to know why I couldn't keep my mouth shut and giggled instead when you walked in on us? You've done it before, on Christmas morning the first year I met you guys. This whole scene reminded me of that so…I giggled." I smiled slightly and put my arms up in an 'I'm hopeless' motion. He stared at me for a second and then he burst out laughing hysterically.

"I remember that," he muttered in-between laughs. Then, as suddenly as he began, he stopped. His wand fell to the floor and before my brain could register what was happening, his arms were around me in a tight hug.

"It _is_ you," he whispered, amazement evident in his voice. Sirius chuckled beside me and slapped his mate on the back.

"I'll go get us some Butterbeers," he said with a half-smile and a shake of his head, his long hair falling in front of his twinkling eyes.

"Fire whiskey, Padfoot," James spoke up as he released me but didn't take his hazel eyes off my brown ones. A barking laugh echoed in the room and Sirius disappeared still laughing to himself. He motioned for me to take a seat in the couch and then plopped down in a chair.

"I'm sorry I threatened you with my wand," he said a lopsided and embarrassed grin on his face. I giggled as I could see a reddish tint showing on his cheeks.

"James, it's a perfectly normal reaction, you're an Auror after all. I just-" here I paused not really knowing how to fraise my next sentence.

"Go on, you can say anything after that little performance."

"Well, I just didn't expect that reaction from you James. I actually thought Sirius would freak out a lot more than he did, but not you. You used to put the benefit before the doubt, what happened?" I asked carefully, I wasn't sure I had the right to ask since I had been absent for so long. It had been so easy to reconnect with Sirius, but then again we always understood each other and people used to call us soul-mates. But James and I, we had this understanding but now, as I stared at my surrogate brother I couldn't recognize the look in his eyes. It was dark, a lot darker than any look I had ever seen in those always smiling eyes. He sighed and ruffled his hair a familiar motion that made me smile.

"Could we take a rain check on that Char?" he asked slowly and I just nodded. Sirius chose that moment to stumble in with glasses and a bottle of the Hog Head's patent Fire Whiskey.

"Merlin, I haven't seen a bottle like that in ages," I laughed and recalled several parties hosted by the Marauders at Hogwarts.

"Saved it for a special occasion, love. And if this isn't a special occasion I don't know what is!" we all stayed quiet as he poured us each a glass. We clinked them without saying anything and took a swing. The familiar burning in my throat and stomach made me shudder.

"Sweet mother of," James coughed and Sirius shook his head.

"Damn, that was strong," I said and they laughed.

"So, how are you back?" the question I knew was coming. I looked at Sirius and then back at James.

"Honestly? I have no idea."

"So, we're kind of at a full circle then, eh? We're back exactly where we started out in the first place. You came to us from another world for reasons we're still not sure about, and now it's happened again," James stated with a thoughtful look on his face.

"yeah, sort of. That's what happened that night, she went back. But to us she was well you know," Sirius couldn't say the word and I was grateful not having to hear it again.

"Do you think you'll be able to stay?" the hopeful tone in his voice almost made me cry.

"I sure as hell hope so," I laughed out but my eyes were tearing up slightly. Sirius comforting arm squeezed my shoulders.

"How are we going to tell everyone? I mean, we can't have every single witch or wizard waving their wands at you," James actually smirked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I don't know James. I just want to see everyone, but like you just showed not everyone is going to believe that it's really me so easily. And I just want to, or well at least try to make my appearance as painless for everyone as possible." I sighed, not having a clue on how to handle this. Dumbledore handled Sirius and James found out by accident.

"I know who could help," Sirius said with a small smile but a very serious look in his eyes. James and I just stared at him, waiting for him to stop holding his idea from us.

"It's obvious who the next person should be really, I mean like Prongs said, we've reached a full circle. We need our fourth Marauder," here he paused with a grin and a raise of his eyebrow. James and I started to smile in understanding.

"Mates, we need _Moony_."


End file.
